More Than a Kiss
by Embittered Flower
Summary: When Misa Hayase (Lisa Hayes) and Hikaru Ichijyo (Rick Hunter) are captured by the Zentraedi, their captors demand to see what goes into the making of a micron child. They spontaneously comply for the sake of the mission. However, now that they've survived, they arrive home to find that they are utterly unprepared for the consequences of their actions.
1. Chapter 1: In the Line of Duty

**More Than a Kiss  
** **By Embittered Flower**

 **Disclaimer:** _Super Dimensional Fortress Macross_ and its characters are the property of Shoji Kawamori, Haruhiko Mikimoto, and its other co-creators. Much of the dialogue was taken from AnimEigo's translated Japanese script of episode 11 before I took off in a different direction.

 **Author's Note:** I originally wrote this in 2008 as a prologue to something longer that I was planning to write. If I remember what I wanted to write or get re-inspired, this might get updated. Otherwise, here is what did get completed.

* * *

 **Chapter 1:  
** **In the Line of Duty**

\- 17 November 2009 -

First Lieutenant Misa Hayase sighed exasperatedly. _Another fine situation you've gotten yourself into, Hayase_ , she silently scolded herself.

After the SDF-01 Macross was unexpectedly attacked by unknown alien forces and folded into space to escape, Captain Bruno J. Global ordered a Cat's Eye to guide the ship through a cluttered and dangerous asteroid field. Misa volunteered for the job immediately, leaping at the opportunity to contribute something to the military that she had devoted her life to so selflessly.

She did not know, however, that her escorts would be the Vermillion Squadron: Corporals Maximilian Jenius and Hayao Kakizaki and their leader, none other than Second Lieutenant Hikaru Ichijyo.

 _Ichijyo._ She raised an eyebrow as she examined the 17-year-old pilot next to her. She still could not understand why such an immature and irresponsible kid would sign up to join the military. How did he even get accepted? He knew nothing of honor or duty. And he even had the nerve to disrespectfully call her – a superior officer – a nagging "old lady." She wasn't that much older than him; she was only 19 years old herself.

Given his blatant insubordination, she was sure that Hikaru didn't have a great opinion of her either.

And now, after a failed mission, they were trapped together on an alien ship with their three of their captors looming over them. Misa Hayase and Hikaru Ichijyo found themselves in a sticky situation.

The tall and bald Zentraedi introduced himself as Gorg Bodolza, the Supreme Commander of the 118th Zentraedi fleet, and looked down at Misa with a hidden intention in his eyes.

Misa gulped. _This can't be good…_

Instantly, her heart began thudding in anxious anticipation. Normally, Misa could predict several possibilities that could occur in the battle and then develop effective responses. However, they had never dealt with the Zentraedi face to face before. Wearily, she backed away, but the Zentraedi's large size made her attempt futile. He reached down and scooped Misa up into his hand. She struggled to shake free, her long brown hair whipping around her head.

"How soft," Bodolza's voice bellowed with contempt as he turned to look at the two alien officers at his side. "Hmph. To think that such fragile microns like this dare to defy us." He lifted Misa to his eyes and scrutinized her. "This one is the female?" he boomed.

"Yes," the smaller red-haired Zentraedi officer confirmed. "Apparently, male and female microns interact closely with one another."

Bodolza crinkled the bridge of his nose and sneered. "Disgusting." He returned his attention to Misa. "Why did you bother to become microns?"

Misa remained silent, too proud – and admittedly a little scared – to answer.

Bodolza's anger flared. "If you don't tell me why you became microns, I'll kill you!"

Misa felt the Zentraedi's grip tighten around her. _Don't scream, Hayase. Don't show them weakness…_ But Bodolza squeezed more tightly, forcing the air out of Misa's lungs. If he continued, he would break her ribcage and crush her internal organs. Unable to silence the pain any longer, Misa cried out in agony.

"Stop it!" Hikaru's voice rang out from below her. "Stop it! We were born with these bodies!"

Bodolza loosened his grip on Misa as an inquisitive look crept onto his face. "'Born with...'?"

The smaller Zentraedi scratched his head in confusion. "Where in the world were you 'born' from?"

"From our mothers, of course!" Hikaru answered.

The Zentraedi soldiers looked at each other, puzzled. "Mothers?"

Kakizaki stepped forward. "Our female parent!"

"From a female?" the smaller Zentraedi spat. His large eyes bulged in disgust. "You're saying that you were born from a _female_?"

The taller alien with the eye plate stepped back in surprise, obviously mortified by the thought as well. "But how?"

"'How?!' You don't even know that?" Kakizaki blurted in disbelief. "A man and the woman make love and together they make a baby."

"'Make love?'" The Zentraedi looked at each other in their mutual confusion and then at Kakizaki. "How is that done?"

Misa momentarily forgot her discomfort in Bodolza's hand and slumped forward in disappointment. She expected better from her soldiers. These were the basic facts of life for human beings, but how could they expect an alien race to understand these things?

Kakizaki was taken aback by the question. "Well…" he stuttered, "they kiss and they hold each other, and..."

"And that is how microns are 'born?'" Bodolza's face remained devoid of comprehension.

From her captivity in Bodolza's hand, Misa processed the aliens' questions and curiosity. _Males and females don't interact, they don't reproduce sexually, and they don't even know what a kiss is. Just how do they live anyway?_

Bodolza motioned to Kakizaki and Hikaru stiffly with his free hand. "You two, show me this 'kiss.'"

"Are you kidding?!" Hikaru balked at the thought. "Two men can't do that!"

"Why not?" Bodolza thundered.

"Well, technically, they could," Kakizaki muttered. "But I just don't swing that way!"

"Yeah, neither do I," Hikaru nodded furiously in agreement.

The smallest Zentraedi furrowed his brow in confusion. "What do you mean by 'swing?'"

"Well, you know how men and women…" Kakizaki began.

Hikaru jumped in as well. "It's kind of confusing but men…"

Misa rolled her eyes as she listened to the two men bumble their way through a sad attempt at an explanation.

Bodolza was even less impressed. "You will show me this 'kiss!'" Bodolza barked again, his impatience flaring.

Hikaru and Kakizaki gulped and looked at each other, repulsed.

"Well?" Bodolza roared.

Kakizaki took a step toward Hikaru with disgust written all over his face.

"Kakizaki?" Hikaru's eyes grew wide in fear. "Hey – what are you doing?!"

Misa sighed in exasperation. This was getting nowhere. The Vermilion Squadron boys were brilliant in the air but useless when it came to matters of the mind. "Stop your bickering, you two!" She then looked up and called out to Bodolza. "If you put me down, I'll do it!"

Hikaru and Kakizaki breathed sighs of relief.

"You?" Bodolza peered down at the captive micron in his hand. "Very well." He lowered his hand and set Misa down.

Misa, a bit dizzy, planted her hands on her knees and closed her eyes as she took a moment to find her equilibrium. She felt her blood rushing to recirculate in the parts of her body that had grown numb in Bodolza's tight grip.

 _What to do, what to do…_ Hesitation on the job was rather unfamiliar to Misa. But a kiss was supposed to be a tender, intimate gesture meant to be shared only between lovers. She hadn't kissed anyone since…

 _Better to not go there right now, Hayase._ She blocked the memory from her mind. _Think about your duty. It will just be a kiss. One simple, meaningless kiss for the sake of the mission._

She was the Macross' Chief Tactical Officer. She was required to be a quick thinker. However, her duties didn't typically include choosing which of her subordinates to kiss.

Finally, after a few deep breaths, she regained her composure, brushed her hair out of her face, and approached Hikaru quietly. "Lt. Ichijyo, kiss me."

Hikaru's eyes bulged wide in disbelief. "What?!"

"This is our chance to see how the enemy reacts!" Misa hissed a rushed explanation.

"Then do it with Kakizaki!"

Their eyes quickly darted to Kakizaki. Instantly, he lit up and waved, flashing them a foolish grin. Misa raised an eyebrow at him and stoically looked back at Hikaru. "Thanks, but I think I'd rather kiss you."

Hikaru groaned. "You've got to be kidding..."

Meanwhile, Bodolza's already little patience began to wear even thinner. "Do it!"

Misa glared at Hikaru with fire in her eyes. This was no time for his insubordination. "That's an order! Hurry!"

"All right, all right!" Hikaru threw his arms up in defeat. "Fine, I'll do it!"

"Hmph. As you should," she said curtly. She slid her arms around Hikaru's waist and turned to face their alien captors. "Here goes!"

Hikaru gulped in hesitation as he placed his hands on the shoulders of his superior officer. He had feelings for Minmay. He wanted to share his first kiss with Minmay, not with this cold fish of a superior officer. However, now he had no choice; kissing Lt. Hayase was now their means of survival. He closed his eyes as he leaned forward, trying to shut out Misa as well as his own guilt. _I'm sorry, Minmay_ …

Misa reluctantly pulled Hikaru closer and tilted her head upwards to meet his. She felt his hands grip her shoulders. His warm breath tickled her face…

The face of a love long gone flashed through her mind. _Riber!_

Misa almost began to pull away. Her pride, however, wouldn't let her. _No, Hayase. Riber is gone. And you're a soldier._

Both their hearts began to pound loudly in their chests as their grips on one another tightened in anxiety. Bracing themselves for the harsh impact of betrayal, the two slowly drew nearer to each other.

Their lips touched.

Hikaru expected the lips of his superior officer to be cold and firm, much like her personality. However, he was surprised to feel her mouth – warm, soft, and surprisingly sweet – quiver against his own. That was odd. Lt. Hayase suddenly seemed uncertain and… vulnerable?

He had never kissed anyone before, but instinct took over. He instantly felt the need to assure her that she would be safe. He tightened his grip on her shoulders and pulled her closer. His lips slightly parted to gently comfort her.

Hikaru had no idea what had gotten into himself. _Where is this coming from?!_

Misa silently asked herself the same question. She didn't expect Hikaru's tightly pursed lips to grow slack and move slowly and tenderly across her own. But they did. The brash, obnoxious pilot suddenly seemed warm, reassuring, and protective. Misa opened her mouth slightly to accept him. She leaned deeper into his embrace as she silently cursed herself. It had been so long since she had been held that way…

For a blissful moment, Hikaru and Misa forgot that they were prisoners of war.

Their Zentraedi captors, however, did not. Bodolza and his two officers gasped and backed away, staring with mouths agape at the micron couple before them. "P- Protoculture!"

Their confusion threw Misa and Hikaru out of their reverie. "'Protoculture?'" they repeated, turning to face each other. Yet when they met each other's gazes, they shyly looked away.

Bodolza's reaction, though, was far different. "Someone!" he shouted, looking around in turmoil and panic. "Take these things away immediately!"

His other two officers, however, had already regained their composure. "My lord," began the officer with the eye plate, "we cannot show weakness."

"Yes," agreed the red-haired Zentraedi. "Vrlitwhai is correct. We must stay and learn about the microns if we are to learn about their power."

Bodolza's cold glare returned with the realization that his subordinates were correct. "Very well." He looked at Misa. "You," he boomed. "This 'kiss' can produce more microns?"

"Well... uh…" Misa stuttered. "Not necessarily. There's actually a lot more to it than just that..."

"You mean than more than a kiss is required to 'make love?'"

"Well..." Misa's face grew bright pink as she struggled to organize her thoughts. She just kissed her subordinate and now had to explain human reproduction to an alien. She took a deep breath. "So… when a man and a woman... well... they..."

"They what?" Bodolza's temper flared.

Kakizaki stepped forward. "You see – "

"Hold on, Corporal." Misa cautioned Kakizaki. "You saw what happened with the kiss."

"How do you make love?" Bodolza repeated. He looked at Hikaru and Misa.

"Well..." Kakizaki began, blushing furiously. "It's not something you talk about in front of a woman."

Misa raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Kakizaki motioned for Bodolza to come closer. Bodolza tilted his head downward.

"No, closer!" Kakizaki insisted. Bodolza picked him up and lifted him toward his ear.

Hikaru groaned. Here they were, prisoners of war, and Kakizaki was whispering with the enemy as if he was a schoolgirl gossiping with her friends.

"Corporal Kakizaki," Misa chided him, the agitation obvious in her voice. "Woman or not, I _am_ your superior. Don't act like I don't know these things!"

When Kakizaki finished, Bodolza's eyes grew wide in alarm. "Impossible! That's disgusting!"

Kakizaki shook his head enthusiastically. "Naw, it's great!"

Misa couldn't believe what she was hearing. "This is no time for your sick fantasies, Corporal!"

Bodolza glared down at Misa and Hikaru. "You will demonstrate this for us."

"What?!" Misa screamed.

"Oh, no!" Hikaru agreed. "No, no, no, no, _no_! You made me kiss her once. Don't make me do that again!"

"What's that supposed to mean, Ichijyo?"

Hikaru turned to look at his superior. Misa's green eyes flared, and it was then that Hikaru knew that he had dug himself into a deeper hole. It was one thing to be captured by an alien race, but to be captured by an alien race with an angry First Lieutenant Hayase was even worse.

"It's not that!" he tried to defend himself. "I just thought that – "

"Forget it!" Misa cut him off. "It's not like anyone would want to kiss you either!"

"Hey!" Hikaru shot back. "I didn't even mention – "

The Zentraedi officers winced as Misa and Hikaru argued. " _This_ is why males and females should never be allowed to coexist," the red-haired officer muttered to the one called Vrlitwhai, covering his ears.

Bodolza was not amused. "Silence!" he thundered.

Misa and Hikaru quickly complied.

Kakizaki spoke again, still in Bodolza's hand. "Hey, if you let us go back to the Macross, we can get you all kinds of videos and pictures so you can see how it's done!"

"Yeah!" Hikaru agreed quickly. "They'd be very informative!"

Misa groaned, audibly expressing her disbelief at the soldiers' offer to give pornographic material to a bunch of aliens. _Men. So typical._

Bodolza, however, was not at all pleased. "No!" his voice exploded. "You will show us now!"

"But you just can't make a child that quickly! It takes a long time," Misa interjected. "A man and a woman have to decide that it's what they both want!"

"Heh," Kakizaki chuckled. "Not necessarily."

"Shut it, Corporal!"

"Yes, ma'am," Kakizaki whimpered.

"Besides," Hikaru jumped in, "two people have to be alone when they do it! They need privacy! We couldn't possibly demonstrate that for you here!"

Bodolza slammed his other hand down onto the table, causing Hikaru and Misa to stumble and fall. "I'm losing my patience!" He lifted his hand and signaled to the red-haired alien. "Exsedol, turn on the hologram."

Instantly, their huge captors and Kakizaki faded from view. The only thing that Hikaru and Misa could see was each other.

"Now proceed!" Bodolza's voice commanded from the darkness.

"But – but – " Misa turned around in the darkness, her eyes searching for the Zentraedi Supreme Commander. _How did we get to this?!_

"You will show us how to make a micron or this one will perish!" Bodolza's voice commanded from the darkness.

Hikaru had only one last hope. "Kakizaki, did you tell them everything?"

"Yes, sir!" Kakizaki's voice returned. "The whole truth!"

"Why the hell did you do that?"

"I didn't think they'd make you demonstrate that too!"

 _Damn it._

Hikaru and Misa looked at each other in disgust. Hikaru had already kissed his superior officer, but to sleep with her too? "Now wait just a minute –" he began to protest.

"No! Remember that you are our prisoners," Bodolza reminded them. "Now you will show us how microns are made, or your comrade will be executed. Think of what we can do to him."

"But we can't – "

"We have given you a visual filter!" Bodolza's voice resounded from the darkness. "Now proceed!"

"You know, we can still hear you!"

"You microns are so particular!" they heard the alien roar. "Then we will give you an audio filter as well."

The room immediately fell silent. Even the white noise of the alien ship's ventilation disappeared. Misa and Hikaru could only hear the sound of their rushed breathing.

Hesitantly, Hikaru looked over at his superior officer as she walked away from him. She sat on the ground and pulled her knees up to her chin. He slumped over and sat on the ground, crossing his arms.

The two sat quietly, avoiding eye contact with one another. Hikaru was unsure how much time had passed before he finally broke the silence. "So now what do we do, Lieutenant?"

 _I can't do this…_

"Lieutenant?"

 _It would have been better if Kakizaki kept his big mouth shut. But now they know what sex is, and they want to see it. I can't do this!_

"Lt. Hayase!"

Misa opened her eyes and looked up at Hikaru. "I'm afraid we don't have a choice. We don't know what they could do to Kakizaki."

"Are you saying that we have to – "

"Do you think I _want_ to do this, Lt. Ichijyo?" she snapped. "Because I don't! But it's our duty as soldiers to survive, and if one of us can be saved without the others getting hurt, then it's also our duty to rescue him!"

Hikaru looked away in defeat. He hated when Misa started preaching about duty, but, once again, she was correct. _Why does she always have to be right?_

Misa spoke again, but in a gentler tone. "It's because of Miss Macross, isn't it?"

Hikaru could respond with silence.

Misa nodded sadly and stared at the ground. "I know exactly how you feel," she whispered, fighting to hold back her tears.

He finally turned and looked at her curiously. First Lieutenant Misa Hayase was empathizing with him? "Lieutenant...?"

It was Misa's turn to turn away as she dabbed at her eyes with her gloved hands.

"Lt. Hayase, are you all right?"

Misa shook the sadness away and cleared her throat. She took a deep breath. It was foolish of her to be so emotional. She was, after all, the highest ranking officer in this mission, and she couldn't be weak in front of her subordinates, especially not in front of this kid. He had to learn respect, so she had to demand respect.

"Yes," she said. Her familiar tone returned once again - calm, confident, and professional. She looked Hikaru straight in the eye. "You know what we have to do, Lt. Ichijyo."

Hikaru sighed and looked away from her. "I guess, but I don't know if I can do this."

"But Hikaru…" Misa's voice murmured his first name in a sultry tone – an unfamiliar sound from his superior officer.

He looked up at Misa. Her eyes locked on to him as if he were a target on the battlefield. They gleamed with confidence – not with the professional confidence she had before, but with a far more alluring kind. She stepped toward him with half-lidded eyes and a sway in her hips that he never imagined that she could be capable of. "I've seen the way you've looked at me, Hikaru." She snaked her arms around his neck and pulled his head downward. She breathed into his ear. "I felt the way you kissed me earlier..."

He gulped nervously. "Lieutenant?"

"And I want you to know that I feel the exact same way..." She purred into his ear as she pressed herself against him, running a hand down his chest.

Hikaru's flight suit began to feel too warm, too tight. _What the hell?!_ he thought. _Where the hell did she learn how to do this?!_

He tensed up and began to pull away, but Misa whispered seductively again into his ear. "If you don't want to, we'll have to think of something else…" He felt her teeth nibbling his earlobe. "Otherwise, who knows what they'll do to us," she breathed against his skin.

Hikaru swallowed again, and his breathing grew shallow and ragged. Her words were logical but the way she was saying them was so damn mesmerizing. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her, drawing her closer so he could feel more of her body against him.

She kissed a trail slowly down his neck as she toyed with the zipper of his flight suit. "Do you want me to stop?" she murmured against his skin.

"N-no," Hikaru heard himself say. And he was being honest. He had never done this with anyone before, but he knew what was coming next, and – Minmay or not – he didn't want to stop it anymore.

Misa languidly pulled her lips away from his neck, and Hikaru groaned his need for her to continue. She looked at him squarely in the eye. "Are you sure? Are we doing this?"

He got one more look at the woman in his arms.

His hands had undone the curls of Misa's long caramel hair. He brushed wisps away from her face to look into her eyes, which glinted intensely with purpose and desire beneath her long, dark lashes. A faint touch of pink tinted her creamy complexion. She gently but enticingly bit down on her lower lip as she awaited an answer.

Why had he never seen how strikingly beautiful she was?

Why had he never realized that she was a woman?

Hypnotically, he reached up to stroke Misa's cheek. "Lt. Hayase..." he murmured in awe.

"Are we doing this?" She repeated.

"Yes," he hissed impatiently. He pulled her flush against him and leaned down to kiss her neck as he reached for the zipper of her flight suit.

Meanwhile, behind the audio and visual filters, their Zentraedi captors panicked and were thrown into chaos.

Exsedol held his hands to his head. Beads of sweat ran from his brow down to his face. "It... It's too much!"

"I can't take this, my lord!" Vrlitwhai exclaimed, backing away from the table and against the wall.

Bodolza pulled at his collar. "R-retreat!" he shouted. He scooped up Kakizaki and ran out of the room. His two subordinates followed suit, screaming.

No one was left in the room. But, undoubtedly caught up in the moment, Hikaru and Misa continued with their unconventional mission.

\- To be continued (?) -


	2. Chapter 2: Fallout

**More Than a Kiss  
** **By Embittered Flower**

 **Disclaimer:** _Super Dimensional Fortress Macross_ and its characters are the property of Shoji Kawamori, Haruhiko Mikimoto, and its other co-creators.

 **Author's Note:** Inspiration struck. It looks like I'll be continuing this story after all.

* * *

 **Chapter 2  
** **Fallout**

\- 20 November 2009 -

"All right, Captain Hayase," the doctor spoke. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Other than a few scrapes and bruises, you're perfectly healthy. Do you have any other questions?"

Misa smoothed out the wrinkles of her hospital gown as she sat on the examination table. "No, that's all, Doctor…" Misa lied as her voice trailed off. She couldn't remember the doctor's name. There was just too much on her mind. _Hayase, you need to say something!_

It had only been a day since Misa, Hikaru, Max, and Kakizaki escaped from captivity aboard the Zentraedi ship. The Macross was abuzz with the news that the four had returned home unharmed and with new knowledge of the aliens' way of life. They were each awarded a promotion for their heroism, and a special reception was scheduled to officially welcome them home.

While they were given strict orders to rest and practice self-care for a few days before returning to their posts, there was still the matter of official duties. They were to attend a briefing with the top-ranked officers aboard the Macross the next day to report on their findings and what happened.

In preparation for the briefing, though, they were also ordered to undergo thorough medical and psychological exams. And Misa's medical exam was just about complete.

"That's it then, Captain." The doctor picked up Misa's medical record and opened the door. "Welcome home."

 _Last chance! Tell her now!_

Misa gathered courage with a deep breath. "Actually, there's something else," she mumbled.

The doctor turned around and closed the door, waiting for Misa to continue.

"There's a possibility that I may have contracted an STI or…" She tried to swallow, but her mouth was dry. "Or I may be pregnant."

The doctor walked over to the counter and leaned against it, her face unreadable.

"We were captured," Misa explained. "And to learn about human reproduction, the Zentraedi forced me – forced two of us to…" She stopped herself, knowing that the doctor could glean what happened from there.

"I see," the doctor simply said. She pushed her glasses up again.

"I understand if you don't believe me," Misa sighed. "If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't believe me either."

The doctor shook her head. "I believe you. We can start a rape kit – "

"I wasn't raped!" Misa blurted. "I wasn't raped. I initiated it and complied – willingly. So did…" She stopped, not wanting to reveal Hikaru's identity. "So did the other soldier." Surely the doctor could use the process of elimination to find out which of the returning soldiers it was, but Misa wasn't going to help.

It was the doctor's turn to take a deep breath. Misa couldn't blame her. It was an outlandish truth, to the say the least.

"Well, in that case," the doctor continued, "We can test you for STIs right now. As for pregnancy, it's a little too early to tell." She set Misa's medical record down onto the counter and walked toward the door. "I'll be back with the tests," she stated, leaving the examination room.

Misa looked down at her lap. She tried to tug the hospital gown over her knees. It stubbornly refused to stay there and sprung back to her mid-thigh.

The room felt too cold, too sterile. She tugged at the gown again but achieved only the same result.

 _If I caught anything, it's whatever Ichijyo has. Or even Minmay._

She snorted in disgust. Even though many of the soldiers were friends with the rising pop idol, Misa herself had never met her. But there was a chance that they now shared something in common.

Too much in common.

And what if she was pregnant? She had always dreamed of joining Riber on Mars and starting a family with him. But when he was killed –

There was a lump in her throat. She swallowed it.

When Riber was killed on his way back from Mars, Misa's dreams of family life were killed too.

Weren't they?

 _Then what if I'm pregnant?_

A knock on the door interrupted Misa's thoughts, and the doctor re-entered the room. She handed a tiny white pill to Misa.

"What's this?" Misa asked quizzically.

"The morning after pill," the doctor replied. "Emergency contraception. I know you weren't raped, Captain, but it doesn't sound like you wanted or planned this."

Misa stared blankly at the pill that sat in the doctor's palm. It taunted her.

"Captain?"

"I…" Misa blinked and finally looked up at the doctor. "I don't know if I want to take this."

"I understand. Why don't you take that home and think about it?" the doctor suggested. "But you should know that it's only effective within 5 days of the act, so you only have a couple of days. Don't spend too much time thinking."

Misa only continued to stare at the pill as the doctor placed it in her hand.

"Now, let's start with those other tests."

* * *

"I want to know what you guys saw in preparation for tomorrow's briefing." Hikaru's voice cracked slightly as he spoke. He cleared his throat, hoping Kakizaki and Max wouldn't notice his nervousness. "You know, so we can get the timeline straight."

He had attempted to contact Misa several times so they could process what happened between them. But she was difficult to reach and hadn't returned any of his phone calls or messages. In the meantime, he figured, he could at least find out what his men knew. He asked them to meet in a small conference room in the Officers' Quarters.

Kakizaki leaned back in his chair and folded his hands behind his head. He focused on the ceiling as he gathered his memory. "Okay, so Max got away, but you, Captain Hayase, and I got captured. We all blacked out. They held us for observation, and when we woke up, we were interrogated by three Zentraedi. One guy called himself Gorg Bodolza, and he was their commander. I don't know the names of the other two, but one was tall with some kind of robotic eye. The shorter guy was a redhead."

Hikaru tapped his foot on the floor impatiently. He knew all this. He was waiting for the details that were more pressing.

Kakizaki continued to recount the experience. "They wondered why we were so small and were confused when we explained that we were born this way from our moms. They didn't know what kissing was, so you and Captain Hayase showed them that."

From the corner of his eye, Hikaru spotted Max turn his gaze toward him. He didn't dare return his glance.

"The Zentraedi freaked out, called it Protoculture, and then asked for more details about where babies come from. They turned on some filters and threatened you and the captain to…" Kakizaki smirked at his boss, searching for an appropriate euphemism. "Well, they threatened you to get it on. But when you started kissing again, they panicked and ran out of the room, taking me with them. They passed me off to some lower-ranking soldiers who put in me in a cell." Kakizaki sat up in his chair and smiled, satisfied with his explanation.

Hikaru leaned forward in anticipation, unblinking. "And?"

"And that's how I ended up in jail," Kakizaki finished. "I thought I was going to be there forever."

Max nodded, his face stern as he continued where Kakizaki left off. "I found Kakizaki first. He told me where to find the two of you. When we got to your location, you and the captain were just sitting there. After picking you up, we headed toward - "

"Wait!" Hikaru interrupted. "So neither of you… You didn't see anything?"

Perplexed, Max and Kakizaki shook their heads.

 _No one was there…?_ Hikaru furrowed his brow, confused.

Hikaru's heartbeat quickened and roared like thunder in his ears, but it wasn't loud enough to drown out the rush of thoughts flooding his mind.

 _All for nothing – It was my first time – The blood on the floor – I did it for the mission – All for nothing – No one saw anything – I didn't want the captain – What do I tell Minmay – It was amazing but – The blood on the floor – All for nothing –_

Hikaru trembled as he took a breath. And then he took another. And another.

Was this relief? Or was it rage?

"Wait…" Kakizaki's eyes grew wide with realization. He got up and leaned over the table. "Skipper, you and the captain… You didn't actually do it, did you?"

Hikaru stared at the table to avoid eye contact. He propped his elbows onto the table and buried his face in his hands. "All for nothing," he repeated, this time out loud.

"Oh, crap. You did…" Kakizaki sat back down, a wide grin spreading onto his face. "You did! First the untouchable Miss Macross and now the untouchable Ice Queen Hayase too?" He whooped loudly and clapped his hands. He turned to Max and laughed wholeheartedly. "Somebody get this man a medal!"

"Shut up!" Hikaru shouted. "I never slept with Minmay!"

"Huh?" Max leaned back in his chair. "So the rumors aren't true then."

"We're not that serious," Hikaru admitted. He hung his head in shame, still staring at the table. "I mean, I'm into her, but I can't tell how she feels about me. And she's been so busy now that she's Miss Macross. As for the captain…"

Hikaru pushed himself away from the table and stood up, knocking over his chair. He began pacing, and Max and Kakizaki's eyes followed him around the room.

"They cut off all visual and sound," Hikaru groaned, throwing his hands up. "We thought the Zentraedi were still there, watching." He rubbed his eyes before running his hands back through his unruly dark hair in frustration. "They threatened to kill all of us. How was I supposed to know you all left the room?"

"Why are you so upset? You did the impossible and banged Misa Hayase!" Kakizaki exclaimed enthusiastically. "You're going to be a legend!"

Hikaru stopped in his tracks. He glared at his men. "No, I won't. You can't say anything. This ship is big but not big enough. The other soldiers always visit Minmay's family restaurant, and you know how they talk. I don't want her to find out that I slept with my boss!"

Max held up his hands. "Okay, okay. Relax, Lieutenant. We won't say a thing. No one else will ever know. But what about the briefing?"

Hikaru said nothing and simply resumed pacing around the room. Max and Kakizaki watched as their team leader struggled and looked at each other uncomfortably.

Kakizaki broke the awkward silence. "We don't have to tell the brass what actually happened," he suggested. "I mean, I only saw you and Captain Hayase kiss twice before they locked me up. No one else was there."

"Are you kidding?" Hikaru exclaimed. "What about Captain Hayase? She's by-the-book to a fault. If anyone's going to talk about what really happened on that ship, she will."

Max held his hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Well, these meetings are all classified," he reminded them. "It goes on the record, but whatever gets said in there stays in there."

Hikaru rubbed his temples and sighed. "I need to go for a run…"

He briskly left the room, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

Misa breathed in deeply, taking in the open but recycled air. She sat alone at a bench in the artificial park of the Macross, sipping a cup of coffee. She thought that getting out of her quarters would help her relax after her medical and psychiatric appointments, but the change did nothing for her.

" _Relax,"_ _the doctors said._ _"Take it easy."_

Well, she was trying. But just how was she supposed to actually succeed after an ordeal like that?

She tried to focus on the book in front of her. She must have read the same paragraph at least five times, and she couldn't remember what the plot was about. Her mind kept floating back to the little pill that sat in her purse.

"Captain Hayase!"

Misa looked up from the paragraph and raised her head. A couple yards away, Hikaru waved to her mid-jog in his workout clothes.

 _Oh, no._ She gulped. Hikaru was the reason she left the Officers' Quarters in the first place. She didn't want to run into him. Misa held her breath and tried to keep her horror from appearing on her face as Hikaru approached.

He reached her and saluted. "I've been trying to contact you," he panted. "Where have you been?"

"Busy." _Busy avoiding you._ She closed the book, tucked it into her purse, and stood up. She picked up her coffee and turned to walk away. "Have a good day, Lieutenant."

"Wait!" he cried out to stop her. "About what happened back there, with the Zentraedi…"

Misa shifted positions and subconsciously reached down to tug at the hem of her skirt.

"I thought that…" His eyes darted from side to side, taking note of the other people in the park. He leaned in and dropped his voice to a whisper. "I thought maybe we should talk through what happened before the briefing."

"Why?" Misa asked simply. "There's nothing we can do about it." She turned again to walk away.

"For crying out loud," Hikaru growled. "Captain, would you just get off your high horse and stop to listen to me for once?" he yelled at her.

Misa's eyes widened in surprise as she took a step back. Other parkgoers turned their heads to see the commotion.

Hikaru grunted his annoyance. He grabbed Misa's arm but didn't notice her flinching as he dragged her back to the bench.

"Lieutenant! What are you -?!"

"Listen," he whispered. He sat down on the bench and gestured for her to follow suit. Warily, she sat down, placing her coffee on the bench next to her.

"I just talked with Kakizaki and Max," Hikaru explained. "No one was there. No one saw what we did."

"What do you mean?" Misa asked him. He wasn't making any sense.

"Kakizaki said that the Zentraedi panicked when they saw us kissing again. They ran out of the room before anything happened."

"You mean…" Misa's lips parted as she processed the new information. "If no one was there… if the Zentraedi weren't there…" She slowly shook her head in disbelief. "Then what was the point?"

Hikaru didn't – couldn't – give her an answer.

Misa felt pressure building behind her eyes. She bit down on her lip, keeping the tears back. _No. Not here. Not in front of him._

"Max and Kakizaki…" Her quiet voice was firm when she finally spoke again, surprising herself. "Do Max and Kakizaki know what really happened?"

"Yeah," Hikaru mumbled. "They figured it out when they saw my reaction to their account. But they promised they'd keep it a secret. They even suggested that…" Hikaru stopped talking and scratched his chin, as if he were worried about finishing his sentence. "Since no one saw anything, we don't exactly have to report that detail at tomorrow's briefing."

Misa raised an eyebrow. "Are you suggesting that we lie to our superiors?"

"Not lie. Leave stuff out," he offered. "Strategically."

As tempting as that sounded, Misa's sense of morality instantly kicked in. She had to set an example for her subordinate. "Lieutenant Ichijyo, I am appalled that you would ever make such a suggestion!" she berated him.

"Well, of course I would, Captain!" he retorted. "Do you think I wanted _that_ to happen?"

Misa winced. She knew that they did what they had to for the sake of their mission, but his words still stung. "Well, you definitely wanted it then!" she shot back. "Or do you need me to remind you of the things you did and said to me?"

Nearby parkgoers heard her outburst and again turned to look at the pair. Suddenly, Misa blushed and turned away, realizing what she had just exclaimed aloud in public.

Hikaru noted the scene they were causing with alarm and dropped his voice, struggling to contain his indignation. "Captain, I'm trying to protect both of us here."

"I understand. But have you considered the possibility that the Zentraedi have their own recording of what happened during our interrogation?"

"Oh, come on, Captain!" He rolled his eyes. "Even if a recording did exist, what are the chances that it would ever get back to the Macross?"

"I don't know, but they're chances that I don't want to take. We could all be punished for withholding information," she reminded him. She sat back on the bench and crossed her arms. "You just got a promotion and the whole ship thinks you're a hero, Lieutenant. Don't throw it away."

"Fine, fine!" he surrendered with a grimace. He leaned back and turned his attention to the Macross' artificial sky. "So we tell them the whole truth."

"Yes," Misa sighed. "The whole truth. At least the briefing report will be classified. So outside of those papers, it never happened."

Hikaru sat up, blinking at her with his eyes wide in surprise. "It never happened?"

"It never happened."

Hikaru threw his arms up in frustration. "How can you even say that? Captain, you were – I saw…"

He stopped. His face contorted into an expression that Misa couldn't read. "You saw what, Lieutenant?" she demanded.

He locked eyes with her. "I saw the blood on the floor."

Misa gulped. _He knows._

Her heartrate instantly increased and pounded loudly – could he hear it? She tried to control her breath rate but the world was spinning around her. Words escaped her – actions evaded her –

She stood up. She couldn't be there anymore. Not with him. "I – I have to go…"

"Captain!" Hikaru shot up from the bench and grabbed her arm. "We need to talk about this!"

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant." Misa wrenched her arm from his grasp and picked up her cup of coffee.

"Wait, Captain Hayase!"

She turned and walked away briskly out of the park. She urged her legs to move faster, but the walk back to the Officers' Quarters somehow seemed unbearably long.

 _He knows!_

She finally entered the building, approached the elevators, and pressed the call button. After an eternity, the elevator doors opened, and Misa walked in.

 _I can't hide from it anymore._

Misa began sobbing, bringing her hands to her face. The coffee spilled on the floor of the elevator.

When the doors finally opened to her floor, other officers saw Captain Misa Hayase, the heroine of the Zentraedi reconnaissance mission, impeccably poised and dignified as always, walk purposefully toward her quarters.

She didn't bother to tell anyone about the spilled coffee.

\- to be continued -


End file.
